A Farmgirl's Tale
by Edmontonfunkyeah27
Summary: Months before the fall of Reach and the discovery of Installation 04(Halo). We follow the story of a young woman's survival as her agrarian home world is invaded by the merciless Covenant. This is a story of war, loss, and survival.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Please keep in mind as you review that this is my very first fanfic. I've never anything written before save for essays in my English courses. This is just a mere taste of a story that I've thought about doing for quite some time now ever since playing Halo: Reach a billion times. This is just a prologue of whats to come in hopes that i'll get helpful feedback and apply them into later chapters. So take it easy on me fellow writers. _

**I don't own Halo. It belongs to its Microsoft overlords. **

* * *

June, 2552.

Nakdong Province, New Muan, Nongjang.

One month before the Covenant invasion of Reach and three months before the discovery of Installation 04 [Halo].

**PROLOGUE****: ENTER RISA**

Oh how I love Monday mornings! (not really). The time is 6:40 am. I always wake up before the dang alarm goes off, can't help it I suppose. I reluctantly rustle out of my heavenly nest of warmth and clumsily walk over to the window and open the blinds in my small, yet spacious room. The early light of dawn illuminates my little blue-walled haven of isolation to reveal yesterday's wardrobe cluttered on the floor in a pile beside the bed, the simple wooden dresser drawer adorned with a photo of my dad, mom and older brother, a replica of a UNSC _Stalwart-class _frigate that I put together all by myself (thank you very much!), my Tele-bracelet with a missed call from my boyfriend Aaron (I'll need to get him back on that) and Jason's helmet.

I don't have much else decorating my room save for a few posters and a small COM-NET console (great for playing games by the way!) on my desk (I'm not as materialistic as most teenage women nowadays). I quickly make my bed, grab a bath robe and aimlessly saunter off to the bathroom. Before I can get the water running I stop to gaze at my reflection in the mirror.

There I am, Risa Yeun Brandt. I'm nineteen years old, female, and a citizen of Nongjang, a UNSC outer colony which is one of several agrarian planets vital to making sure that everyone's well fed. As you can probably tell from the name, most of my planet's citizens are of Korean descent, even me (well, I'm half-Korean since my dad's of German descent and my mom hails from the United Korea). My lovely dark hair is a total disaster, drool stains my night shirt as my face looks like that of a zombie. I strip naked, finally step into the shower and get the water running-

AHHH! HOT! HOT! I'M ALIVE NOW!

\- it seems I forgot to mix in the cold water, nice one stupid. The warm water feels like heaven as I wash every corner of my petite body. After that I dry myself off, use the toilet, wash up, and head back to my room to put on some fresh clothes. I put on some really casual stuff like an olive-drab t-shirt complete with gray jeans and dark-brown women's boots.

*rumble*

I require morning sustenance.

As I make my way downstairs towards the kitchen I always take note of the house I grew up in. It's rustic but cozy with a nice light blue interior decorated with old paintings. I guess my dad has always had a keen eye for the arts. I make my way into the kitchen and _yep he's not here, yet again._ My dad's been busy lately _doing what?_ Beats me.

All I know is that he spends most of his time either taking care of farm business in town or doing "_God knows what_" in the Drone Server Shed near the edge of the farm. It all started ever since my Marine older brother Jason died two years ago when the ship he was stationed on, the UNSC _Nomura_ went down. The reports say it was Rebels, but I've heard chilling rumors that it wasn't. It fucking sucks because it happened right before he was going to transfer to another ship, the UNSC _Pillar of Autumn. _Talk about shit timing.

This wasn't the first time I lost a family member. See I'm the youngest of 3 siblings, or should I say **was **the youngest. The would-be oldest was my sister Abigail who (according to dad) was 6 years old when she became mysteriously ill and died shortly after. This was before I was born. Then Jason came along and then I made my debut seven years later.

Unfortunately it was at the cost of my mother's life. She died giving birth to me. I'm all that's left. Talk about luck, I really don't want to think about it (_I miss you Jason, I miss you so much_).

Dad's always trying to occupy himself with things when I'm not around to distract him ever since then. He's so strong willed it's amazing. That also explains why he never remarried. It was a really hard time for us. But at least he doesn't drink, you go dad! Okay back to reality, it appears he prepared breakfast for me beforehand! He's so sweet. He always has what's best for me in mind no matter what. I love you so much daddy.

I eat my tasty morning servings of Moa sausages, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, kim-chi, coffee, and finish it off a multi-vitamin supplement. As I eat my meal, the HOLO-screen broadcasts the morning news which mentions large shipments of Moa livestock arriving today all the way from Reach, clear weather with the possibility of rain, enlistments in the UNSC military increasing drastically and updates on our war with the Insurrectionists (or "Innies" as referred to by those in uniform).

It makes me a little uneasy how the media always talk about our war with the Rebels like it's going out of style, but completely avoid touching on the _**other war. **_I've heard that it's a much bigger war with an enemy far deadlier and _**alien**_ than the Rebels. That they're the ones who really killed my brother and most of the _Nomura's _crew.

Before I can finish my thoughts of grief, my dad walks in and wakes me from my daydream. "Good morning my little princess! How's it going?" he says happily as he walks towards me and gives me a kiss on the forehead.

"Hey _abeoji, _I'm good this fine morning" I say.

"I see you're in a good mood" I tell him.

"What were you doing in the Server Shed this time?" I ask.

"Well, err... I was running diagnostics with the help of Cory, the company tech support and a fellow engineer like yours truly". He says.

"Looks like we'll need to upgrade the guidance software for the bots" he tells me with a confident smile.

"Cory? This early?" I ask feeling skeptically. His face appears unsure, like he's trying to be careful of what to say.

"Yeah, you know he's always been a good friend and is happy to give us a hand. Plus it's his day off" he reassures me.

"Good point. But why do we need to upgrade the drone software? They were working fine last I checked?" I ask, still somewhat skeptical.

He puts on his "expert" face. "Remember how _interference _blocks the signal from my Tele-bracelet? The reason why we can't communicate wirelessly because of the photons in the radio wave-" I cut him off before he can bore me to death.

"Okay, I get it professor. The "_interference" _is messing with the software in the servers" I say.

"Clever girl, you never cease to impress me haha" he confirms with a hint of surprise.

I understand he wants to make sure everything here works the way they're suppose to. But something tells me there's more to it. That he's not telling me everything. I don't know what it is, but it could be nothing. It all started when he'd spend hours occupying himself with fixing things, work, business, writing software and more recently, playing in the Server Shed.

I've decided it's best to just let him be because after losing two kids and my mom he has every right to his hobbies. Whatever helps him sleep at night and keeps the bottle away.

He turns to the HOLO while pouring coffee into his favorite mug (gift from mom). Then his face slowly goes from happy to downright blank as he turns to the HOLO-screen where the news starts talking about the revival of the UNSC _Nomura_.

Perfect timing you damn robotic script reading shit-for-brains. They build up those things fast, it makes me think about the _**other war**_.

He turns off the screen and stares in silence. I look down at my feet with a glum look on my face.

I decide to finally break the awkward silence "Well, I guess it's about time for me to head out soon otherwise Mr. Park will kill me for being late again" I tell him.

He returns back to normal. "Oh okay, I'm actually about to leave with Cory downtown to handle some business and won't be back till tonight" he says.

"If you get hungry just order take-out or cook up something since you love cooking so much" he says sarcastically.

"And stay out of trouble. I'll be back before it gets too dark and NO you can't bring Aaron here, I know how I was like around girls at his age" he warns me.

"Sir yes sir!" I reply sarcastically.

I proceed to clean up my plate, and get ready to head out. I run upstairs back to my room to fetch Jason's helmet which was a gift of sympathy (along with his dog tags) from his friend in the Marines who was saved by him during the fall of the _Nomura (you were always brave and selfless Jason)_.

Why am I fetching it? It makes a great bike helmet and somehow it feels like he's still here protecting my fragile little head.

As I put on my sweatshirt, grab my satchel, and make my way through the living room I notice something peculiar.

There's a mysterious e-mail displayed on my dad's HOLO-tablet he left open on the coffee table.

I pick it up and read the header which states:

"_FOR YOUR EYES ONLY_ _Dear Mr. Adam Brandt. We here at the United Nations Space Command Office of Naval Intelligence [ONI] require your presence at the location listed below to discuss matters with our representatives regarding-"_

My dad swiftly snatches the HOLO out of my hands before I can finish reading it. Wow! he is fast!

"Whoa! Hey! Watch it young lady! Don't ever read my e-mails without my permission understand?" He says in a very serious tone.

I'm suddenly taken aback. "Sorry! Curiosity got the better of me, Sorry! I didn't read anything I swear!" I reassure him carefully.

His green eyes pierce into my brown ones like he's scanning my mind, reading my intentions.

I try to escape before it gets anymore weird. "I'll be going now okay? I'll call you later. Love you!" I say as I give my dad a kiss on the cheek.

He relaxes and goes back to his normal state. "It's all gravy, don't worry about it my little beauty. Just take care of yourself out there okay kiddo." He tells me and heads back to the kitchen, through the back door to meet up with Cory.

I proceed to walk out the door outside to the nice cool and sunny morning.

I begin to take in the peaceful and calming scenery of expansive crop fields spanning all the way to the mountains in the distance. I look up and smile at the two moons still visible in the sky with the sun breaking through the clouds.

Interestingly enough, I notice what looks like a _Stalwart-class _frigate flying gracefully through the clouds. I know because I have a model of it in my room. I can hear it's thrusters roar, boy would I kill to go inside one of those things.

Nongjang doesn't have a huge military or naval presence like that of Reach by a long shot. But it's still considered vital to the UNSC and Earth so she has her own small fleet, a few orbital defense platforms, and a couple of Army battalions stationed in Fort Pyongyang just in case.

Luckily for me the helmet still has a working HUD with a zoom in feature.

Before the frigate disappears into a huge cloud, I barely catch it's name written on the hull. _In Amber Clad_.

I look towards the east to see the drones activating to start their morning routines of tending to the crops.

The farm is actually pretty old since it's been around ever since the planet was deemed safe for colonizing. It's been with the family for generations and is of now under contract by Dok-do Colonial a company based back on Earth in the United Korea that distributes supplies throughout the colonies.

To say this is a big farm would be a huge understatement since it's really huge (_like POW!_) because we cultivate a wide assortment of food crops from barley, corn, cabbage, wheat and potatoes, hell you name it. The farm's so big that man-power alone wouldn't be enough to make a profit, so the credit goes to the small army of automated systems that manage this place with efficiency.

I begin to take in the cool air and make my way down the concrete pathway leading from my house to the main road. from there I hop on my foldable, old-school bike, put on my helmet, and ride south one mile down the road to the shuttle station at the end to catch a ride to town from there.

As I ride on I take note of the never ending fields of veggies that still glow with the morning dew and the simple buildings pockmarked here and there with the occasional eighteen-wheeler passing by as well as a few cars. This appears to be any other boring day with the usual routine ever since I started working at Park's Bakery, But a weird feeling in my gut tells me that _something _is going to change all of that. It's probably nothing...

* * *

_Please review and give helpful feedback, tips and pointers. I would REALLY appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it, take care! _


	2. Just The Usual

_Hello again! I would like to sincerely apologize to you all for taking so long with this chapter. Lately life has had me by the balls and so has school. I can't give exact dates for future chapters and I don't want to rush this so I apologize. Patience my readers!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: JUST THE USUAL**

9:00 am... Fifteen minutes late...

Christ! What the hell is taking the shuttle so damn LONG! Ugh! Forget it, what's the point of pouting? It won't change a damn thing. This is strange. The New Muan Express is never late, this is indeed a rare occurrence unless... Oh! I completely forgot! There's gonna be this big festival all over the planet to commemorate the Reunification of 2050. That means the shuttle shifted its schedule... Well crap. Now what?

I guess I could give you the ancient story behind this holiday as I wait here. So centuries ago back on Earth the United Korea wasn't so "united". It used to be split in two sovereign states; North and South Korea. The North was ruled by a dictatorship unlike the South and needless to say they didn't like each other one bit. for many years they would make threats to one another and butt heads now and then. It was all bark and no bite until March 24th 2050 when the North launched an assault on the South's capital Seoul. 2 years of fighting later the North lost and the Korean peninsula became the United Korea. Today marks the anniversary of the reunification and it has been celebrated even to this day. It's actually pretty fun! There's games, music, contests, reenactments and more. I wonder if Aaron is planning to take me this year, he knows how to show a girl a good time.

*beep-beep-beep*

"Hmm? Who's this?" I say as I glance at my Tele-bracelet. The caller ID reads "Aaron Barrios". Well speak of the devil. I was beginning to wonder when he was gonna call me.

I answer the call by touching a device looped behind my left ear.

"_Yeboseyo_? (hello?)" I say expecting some smartass response.

"Good morning there sunshine, how you doin'?" He replies positively.

"Hey there sweety! I'm sorry I missed your call yesterday I got home and knocked out right after. So my bad haha" I say

I skip all of the funny pleasantries and get right to business.

"Hey listen. I'm in a bit of a pickle here, the shuttle is gonna be late and so am I if I don't come up with something quick. Getting chewed out isn't on my schedule today"

"Well it looks like someone up there is listening because I'm not too far from the terminal, I'll actually be there in a few minutes. So what do you say? Need a lift your Highness?" He tells me.

"D'aww I would be honored my Knight in shining armor hehe" I reply.

I proceed to hang up and just wait for him to show up. I don't know why but when I'm quietly waiting alone, my mind drifts off to memories of Jason. I remember sitting in the couch, home alone and watching T.V. when I heard a knock on the door. I answered it only to be greeted by two UNSC servicemen. Messengers... Before they could tell me what I already knew I fell on my knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Are you the daughter of Mr. Adam Brandt and sister of Corporal Jason Yeun Brandt?" Said one of the serviceman.

*sobs* "Y.. Ye.. Yes." I cried.

"Is Mr. Brandt present at the moment ma'am?" He said as he stood firm like a statue.

I shook my head furiously.

"The UNSC and Commandant of the Marine Corps gives their condolences as we regret to inform you that Corporal 1st class Jason Yeun Brandt of the 185th Battalion was killed in action at 0800, 2nd of October, 2550 when the UNSC cruiser _Nomura _was destroyed by an Insurrectionist attack-"

"stop..." I said.

"Any and all funeral expenses as well as post-mortem reinbursement will be paid for by the Departme-"

"Stop.." I repeated.

"The Offic-"

"STOP IT!" I cried.

As I continued to sob pathetically the servicemen gave me a death certificate and a bunch of other printed bullshit right as my dad miraculously pulls in the driveway in his truck only to add more to the emotional chaos... I don't want to think about this now. Especially at a station filled with strangers.

As I grab my bike and wait in a spot where Aaron can see me I overhear two business men talking about something. Me being my nosy self decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Have you heard about the shortage of all produce coming from the outer systems?" Said one of the businessmen.

"Yeah I have, this has been happening a lot lately. What the hell is going on?" Said the other.

"Everybody keeps saying its the Rebels stirring up shit like always, but..." says the other businessman as he appears deep in thought.

"But?"

"I've been hearing rumors and crazy stories from people coming from the more remote systems. That it isn't the Rebels at all" The man said slightly grim.

"Then who? Who or _**what **_else could be behind all of these attacks?" Said the other in a baffled tone.

"They call them the _**Covenant**_." He said in a low voice, but just loud enough for me to hear.

As soon as I hear that my eyebrows furrow. I feel like I've heard that term before. But before I could recon the situation more, my smartass boyfriend shows up in his pickup and honks the horn.

*HONK HONK*

"Your chariot has arrived your majesty!" He says as he steps out to open the passenger door for me. That's what I love about him, he's so chivalrous which is a rare trait nowadays.

As I happily walk over to his truck I stop briefly to meet his lips as we share a tender kiss. I always loved his soft lips.

I proceed to fold up my bike into a portable form and place it in the trunk. I take a seat, get comfortable and we head off to my desired destination.

Aaron's wearing a really casual outfit. Jeans, work shoes, plain t-shirt, Traxus Heavy Industries jacket and beanie. Similar to myself, he's also half-Korean. His mother is Korean whilst his father is Latino, they live on Luna. Aaron lives here on Nongjang with one of his cousins who is a Registered Nurse in New Daegu while he works as a part-time truck driver for Traxis Heavy Industries. In the mean time he's trying to figure out where he wants to go in life. That's one thing we have in common; since high school ended we're both as lost as ever. He once told me that he'll like to go to flight school one day and maybe learn to fly ships for the company rather than driving trucks. He'll think of something.

I'm still not sure what the hell i'm gonna do. I'm most likely gonna inherit the farm eventually, but I don't know if that's what I truly want. It's all good, this job at the bakery has given me plenty of time to contemplate. I'm sure I'll think of something as well.

"So what's new sweety? You look lost in thought? Everything okay?" Aaron says as he breaks the brief silence in the truck.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff. Like what I'm gonna do later on and whether or not you're planning to treat me to the festival?" I say.

Oh do I love festivals and stuff. The food, games, rides, hell you name it. It always made me forget all of the messed up stuff I've forced to deal with. It beats all those psych evals and shrink appointments and I just finished two months ago. But there are some wounds that can't heal. The best you could do is anesthetize the pain.

"Of course I'm treating you silly! _Damn I was hoping to dodge that one..."_

_"_What was that?" I ask in a humorous yet condescending tone. I heard that you sneaky bastard.

"Uhh of course we're going to the festival! And I'll pay for everything!" He says with a frightened grin.

"You don't have to pay for EVERYTHING. I'll pay for all the food. Jesus you don't have to be such a pushover silly." I reassure him. What? Did you think I'm that kind of girl?

"Hehehehe... ehhh..." He laughs feeling slightly intimidated.

"So how's your dad been doing lately? Is he alright?" He asks.

"He's doing fine" I tell him. "He's been spending some time in the drone command centre. That big shed in the edge of the farm?"

"Uh huh. What about it?" He asks while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Well he's been spending more time in there than usual, like almost 5 hours at a time! But that's not the only thing bugging me." "I peeked at his emails on his COMPAD and saw something weird. Really weird." I say.

"What is it? Don't tell me he's having a secret affair or something." He asks.

"Tsk, no! It was a message sent by the Office of Naval Intelligence!" I tell him.

"Oh shit. ONI!?" He says in disbelief.

"Yes! They were asking him to meet them privately in New Daegu. He's probably there right now as we speak." I explain to him. "He got really flustered when i was looking at the e-mail. I've never seen him like that, it scared me a bit".

He glances at me with a small hint of surprise. One thing to understand is that here in the outer colonies, WE DO NOT LIKE ONI. In addition we also don't always agree with the United Earth Government (UEG) but not as much as we do with ONI. Just look at our planet's history of Insurrection and how the UEG and the UNSC made the inner systems their first priority and us poor folks second. Sorry I don't mean to get all political but yeah, you get my point.

"Doesn't sound like him. I just hope it isn't something serious. They probably want to buy the farm from you guys and build some sort of top-secret facility or something." He says "But you and I both know that's never gonna happen."

I couldn't agree more. That place is our life blood, our family's legacy. The only way anyone will ever take the farm from us is over our dead bodies. And don't think Dokdo owns our farm. We just have a something more of a partnership of sorts. They've lent us equipment to farm the crops efficiently and in return we get a share of the profits. My dad was able to haggle them to take only twenty-five percent of the profits. But recently it seems everybody's more focused on more food production rather than getting rich. Like something big is gonna go down. Hmm...

"You got that right!" I say proudly as I lean over to kiss my boyfriend on the cheek.

Aaron smiles as we take the scenic route to town. I can't help but to gaze at the beautiful snow peaked mountains in the distance, the planet's two large moons make the view even better. *Sigh* I'd hate to be forced to leave this beautiful and peaceful planet. No matter what, Nongjang is and always will be my home.

"Hey by the way. do you remember that field trip to fort Pyongyang during high school?" He asks me.

"Yeah. What about it?" I ponder.

Of course I remember that trip. We got to go inside of a pelican and fly around the base, got to shoot some cool guns and Jason was stationed there for a few weeks and gave me a tour of a longsword that was parked nearby... *sigh* Oh man, i'm sorry. I can get a little emotional whenever I think of the good memories we had.

"Remember that time when Sook accidentally got her hand stuck in- whoa hold on a second, check this out!" He says as he's interrupted by a very rare sight that was coming towards us on the opposite lane. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing; a military convoy consisting of a few warthogs, a scorpion on the back of a truck, and a pelican flying above them like an escort. What happens next is where it got really interesting. In one of the warthogs there were no regular troopers in it. Instead there were these "soldiers" with what looks kind of like the armor ODSTs would wear, except they weren't ODSTs. There's one in the drive seat and he/she is wearing black/gray armor. There's another one manning the turret and he is huge! He's wearing silver/yellow bulky looking armor with some kid of weapon on his back. And lastly there's the one on the passenger side. I'll never forget this one. He/she is wearing blue armor that doesn't look too heavy nor too light. As they drive by I can't help but feel as though the one in blue was looking right at me. Of course I can't tell through his/her helmet but I felt a pair of eyes looking at me.

And just as quickly as they drove by they were gone, going back the way we just came. In the same direction as the farm.

A few minutes later we made it into the town of New Sapgyo. It not too big and not too small either. Unlike the big cities and the inner colonies with their futuristic, tall and monolithic skyscrapers, this place looks more traditional. All of the buildings here look traditional by early 21st century standards. Everything here is packed close together. Need a drink? there's a convenience store a few steps that way. Hungry? There's a restaurant twenty steps over there. Everything you'll ever need for whatever reason is pretty much here. All within an arm's reach, so to speak. plus there's not a lot of traffic, so that's nice

I get out of the truck but not before giving my boyfriend a goodbye kiss.

"Thanks for the ride, I love you sweety." I tell him

"I love you too. Take care of yourself, okay babe?" He tells me before driving off to resume his work schedule.

Did I ever tell you how I met him? I'll keep it simple. It was 2 years ago during my last year of high school. My best friend Amy and I were talking in class and in the corner of my eye I saw this boy glancing at me every now and then. I paid no attention to it at first. But after a while I couldn't help but begin to pay more attention to him little by little. Until one day out of curiosity I approached him during class one day.

He was sitting by himself sketching something on his COMPAD. It was a beautiful woman with white hair, badass armor, and 2 swords on her back. I caught him off guard.

"_Annyeonghaseyo_!(hello) Nice sketch what is it?" I ask smiling.

"OH! uhh.. Oh this is nothing really, just a quick sketch. little hobby of mine actually hehe." He says nervously. I found that kinda cute.

"Well I think it looks badass!" I say.

"Thank you!" He says with a hint of enthusiasm.

"By the way, I never got your name? I'm Risa." I say

"I'm Aaron, Aaron Barrios. It's nice to finally meet you!" he says.

At that moment, something deep in me clicked and next thing you know we're a couple. It was also around this time that I lost my brother. Aaron was there for me. He comforted me and made sure to cheer me up. If you were to see him you'd wouldn't think much about him, like he wasn't there. But once you get to know him, you see a sweet, lovable, brave, and loyal person. I don't think there's anyone else out there in the galaxy who's like him. Risa's advice on life is this: don't judge someone by what's on the surface. Get to know someone first before you make your judgement.

* * *

I made it! I finally made it! YES! Okay. Need to set things up fast before-

"Late by five minutes Missy!" Says Mr. Park.

*aww FUCK!* I think to myself.

"_Annyeonghaseyo! _Mr. Park! Sorry the shuttle was behind. You know the festival's soon right?" I tell him nervously.

"Well then? You should've gotten there even earlier if you're aware of upcoming events." He lectures me

"It was only five minutes Mr. Park, surely you can make an exception?" I say trying not to beg.

"You know, if you weren't my best employee I would've made you clean the restrooms. But I'll let this slide this time. You're lucky my daughter thinks highly of you. You remind her of her little sister God rest her soul." He says.

"Thank you so much for understanding!" I say with my head bowed. Shit that was close.

I proceed to put my bike and helmet in the back room, put my hair into a ponytail, put on a cap, an apron, and finally my name tag.

The bakery/cafe is not that big. Built to hold around 20 people with a few small tables here and there. The place has a simple yet cozy white interior with large glass windows and door as well as a hardwood floor. There's also speakers playing lounge music but not too loudly. Sometimes simple is best. Oh and there's the aroma of fresh coffee and freshly baked pastries in the air that I love.

I begin my shift by cranking up the ovens as one of my coworkers Jun prepares the pastries for baking.

"_Annyeong hashimnikka_ (good morning)Risa" He says as I pass by.

"_Achim!_ (morning)" I reply.

Jun is one of the employees here at the bakery. he's a bit older than me and attends Hyo-Jin College in New Daegu. I think he's studying engineering or something. Can't remember.

Our third cog in this caffeinated machine is Stacy. She's new here and was actually born on Harvest. I think she's here because something happened there a while back when she was younger and had to leave. She refuses to talk about it.

He puts the pastries into the ovens and begins on the next batch. I then proceed to get the coffee going since it's our best selling product here. Just open up the machine, place a ground coffee canister in the slot and ta-da. Our other coworker Stacy man's the register as folk begin to trickle in to get their morning caffeine fix.

Several minutes later Mr. Park calls Stacy to help him with something. She asks one of us to cover the register in the meantime.

"Hey Risa, mind taking the helm? I gotta prepare these cronuts." Jun asks

"Yeah sure thing!" I tell him.

As I move on up to the front lines so to speak, I standby ready to take orders. As I look over the tables I notice these two guys in military uniforms seated on a table enjoying some pastries and coffee. One of them has a shaved head whilst the other one has a bar-code on his neck. I then notice something really interesting; they've got patches on there shoulders. Not just any patches, but those worn by ODSTs. HOLY SHIT! ODSTs are HERE!? HAVING COFFEE!? Cool! Must be off duty or something. This also could mean that a Navy ship is somewhere nearby. Maybe the _Stalwart _I saw this morning?

As I take orders from customers I try my best to eavesdrop on their conversation and yes I know "you shouldn't be so nosy Risa!" but hey! I can't help it that I'm so damn curious! Besides? What's the harm? Not like I'm gonna tell anybody, sheesh.

They talk about their personal lives and what not, but then they mention something interesting.

"So any idea why were being stationed here? It's a nice place and all but what's going on?" Says shaved-head.

"Dunno, the top-brass are keeping it hush-hush as usual. But what I have heard is this: something is going on with some of the planet's comm relays." Says bar-code.

"Rebels you think?" Says shaved-head.

"Possibly. We shouldn't talk about this stuff in a place like this, we'll find out soon enough." Says Bar-Code

"Yeah, roger that. We gotta go report in by 1200 anyway." Says Shaved-Head

"I guess we're done here, wait outside by the hog I'm gonna get me a refill from the pretty barista over there." Finishes Bar-Code

Oh my, I'm flattered- wait, he's coming over here! It's okay Risa act cool.

"Excuse me, can i get a refill?" Asks Bar-Code.

"Oh yeah, sure thing!" I say as I get him his refill.

After I get him his new hot coffee he thanks me with a smile and leaves through the front door

"Come again!" I call after him as he departs.

*Detective mode enabled* I wonder what they were hiding? They mentioned something about one of our communication relays. Something's up with it and it appears that the only ones who know the whole story is the higher ups in the military. I hope it's nothing to worry about. We used to have a problem with the Insurrectionists several years ago but it has died down to a few cells ever since. It looks like the end is near. For them at least. It's probably best that I try not to be so nosy and get all up in the affairs of others. You run the risk of getting in too deep.

The day went by smoothly and wasn't the most busiest day so it was nice. I then proceeded to take my daily thirty minute lunch break. I got a sandwich, water and just sat by the window overlooking the town's main plaza. In the center of it there is a monument commemorating the Reunification of 2050. There's people engaged in their daily commute, local teens coming in and out of the town's only PC Bang. I used to go there with Aaron and some friends from school but not anymore. I haven't been there since last year even though it was therapeutic to my recovery after Jason passed.

I also don't have many friends. I've always been shy, introverted and a little bit standoffish with others. Losing Jason made it worse, so yeah you could imagine. I have only two friends on this whole planet besides Aaron. There's Amy who I've known since elementary and we're pretty close, and there's Kim who I've known since my last year of high school. Amy is as cool as a cucumber and shares the same interests as me. She may seem kind of cold at first glance, but she can be such a sweetheart and she was there for me in my toughest times. Kim is more outgoing and extroverted than the rest of us. He was also there for me when I lost Jason and he can be cool sometimes. He's very tech savvy and always talks about the latest advances in technology. Aaron, Amy and Kim. My three best friends in the whole galaxy. What would I do without them?

I finish up my lunch and see that I have twenty minutes left in my break. I decide that a short walk to the convenient store down the road would do me some good. I need to get some stuff for later since I'm gonna be home all by myself and I can't bring anyone over. Geez dad I'm not a kid anymore, but I get it. I'm his ONLY child left and he doesn't want anything bad to happen to me.

As I walk down through the town I run into someone I wish I never would have to cross paths with. Emma Cheong with her silky satin-black skirt and beige colored blouse. She has her hair straight and ironed to perfection while I'm here looking like a snoop. She is the definition of uptight, super-popular and snobby bitch. You think I'm being mean, but if you'd know what type of hell this girl put me through you'd keep your damn mouth shut.

"Oh look who it is? If it isn't little Risa on her daily commute. So how's life treating you- actually hold that thought. I don't give a crap." Says Emma.

*sigh* "What do you want Emma? I'm running on a tight schedule right now and I'm not in the mood to chat, especially with the likes of you" I tell her straight up.

"Whoa what's with the attitude? I'm just trying to say hi and ask how your loser life has been ever since what happened to your poor brother" She tells me.

I feel my hand tightening into a fist but I calm down immediately. After all of the shit she's put me through, she isn't worth it. I'm better than that.

"Where's your posse? It's a very rare sight to see the graceful Emma without her flock" I say sarcastically.

"There over at the clothing shop getting me some new threads. Gucci and the like. Not that you would know since you don't appreciate high fashion just like everyone else on this rock" She says.

"If your family is so wealthy why didn't you go live with them on Earth or in the inner colonies where all the important people are? Why stay in a remote planet like this?" I ask her.

"That's none of your business. Look I only wanted to say hello and that's it. It looks like I'm wasting your time just as you're wasting mine's asking personal questions. We'll talk some other time. Beat it. I gotta go see what's taking these two morons so long." She says before disappearing into the shop.

"As you wish your majesty." I tell her.

She scoffs.

Can't believe this girl was the bane of my existence just a year ago. She still kind of is, but she's all talk and no bark. Besides, I know why she is like this in the first place. One of her favorite cousins was killed when rebels bombed their apartment complex on Reach around two years ago. The rebels believe that the wealthy are also to blame for their problems since some of the wealthiest people support the UEG. We both lost people we love Emma, you don't have to take out your anger on me.

Her family owns a pretty big business in agricultural development. They make lots of money and most of Emma's "Royal" family live on Earth: the birthplace of humanity that I've always wanted to visit but never could afford to. Maybe one day I'll get that chance.

I finally make it to the convenient store to pick up some survival supplies for the upcoming Long Night when suddenly a breaking news report comes on the shop's HOLO-screen. It's talking about shortages of food in some places, large influxes of people coming from the outer colonies and into the innermost planets, more enlistment rates and our planet's UEG Governor giving an announcement telling us that everything is gonna be fine and what not.

Why is he telling us that? Is there something I should be worried about? I hope not.

I finally wrap up my business at the shop and head back to the cafe to finish my shift and go home. A few hours later I'm on the express and biking it back to the house just as the sun starts to set. I get inside after unlocking the door and yep dad's not here just as he said he wouldn't be. I hope he's not getting involved into anything shady or too mysterious with ONI. You're probably wondering why don't I check out the drone command shed outside? Well I have actually, and I couldn't find squat. Nothing at all. Trust me I spent more than an hour looking over EVERY DAMN NOOK AND CRANNY. But I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Maybe there is something I overlooked? Possibly a hidden 'something' that only my dad knows of? Ugh who knows, I'm too tired to play detective right now. I just wanna watch my soap operas, is that too much to ask?

I grab some food and plop my skinny butt on the couch in front of the HOLO and resume my daily intake of my favorite show "Unspoken Dilemma". It's about a young woman who is stuck in a love triangle between her boyfriend and another woman who I think is pretty hot. She's bisexual but her boyfriend doesn't know and thus chaos ensues!

"_Listen! I'm tired of being in the dark and being left out! You need to choose either me or HER!"_

_*She looks between her upset boyfriend and distressed female lover rapidly and frantically*_

_"I choose... I choose... Uhh..."_

_"_Oh c'mon! You better pick her dummy! Look at her! How can you say no to THAT!?" I say out loud to the screen with food in my mouth. I know, I'm a slob :(

"_I choose you Chloe I love you!" _

_*She and Chloe passionately kiss as her boyfriend watches in awe and sadness*_

"YES! WHOO HOO! You go girl!" I yell as I dance on the couch like a snoop. Thank God I'm all alone here.

Nobody really knows this about me: I go both ways if you know what I mean. If I wasn't with Aaron, I'd be with a pretty girl by now most likely.

I check my Tele-bracelet and notice no messages or missed calls in the main menu. Strange. Something's not right.

As I ponder possibilities as to why this is happening a news broadcast pops up on the screen stating that communications will temporarily be suspended in my area until further notice.

"Well that's super! Not only am I all alone here, I have no one to contact should anything go wrong. ARE YOU CEREAL!?" I yell.

At least I know where dad keeps his M6 in case of an emergency. I may be small and sweet but I can handle myself if the need arises.

I grab my dishes and head over to the kitchen sink to wash them. As I'm doing so I notice something weird outside through the window. Something ran quickly across the backyard and into the fields outside. I don't know what it was but it had a weird reflective quality, like it was wearing an invisibility cloak or something. I had chills running down my neck. I don't know what is going on here but something tells me that this is not a good sign.

I try to call dad but immediately remember that communications are down, shit. This can't be a coincidence can it?

"_Mueos-eul daeche? _(what the fuck?)" I say in frustration.

I was about to have a mental breakdown until I spot a pair of headlights coming up the driveway. It's my dad's pickup! Oh thank the Lord!

He comes up to the door, opens it and comes inside looking exhausted. I run to him and tell him what I saw. As I do so his face changes from tired to alert instantly. He runs up to his room and comes back down with his M6 in his hand. I get nervous and ask him why he would need that but he tells me to just stay inside and don't come out until he comes back.

"Listen to me. I'm going to handle this so whatever you do don't come out until I get back. If I don't, take the truck and head over to Cory's right away okay? You know how to drive. Got it?" He tells me.

"Y-yeah I got it but what's going on dad? You're starting to scare me." I ask him timidly.

"Just do as I say. I'll tell you everything when the time is right. Don't worry, your daddy is invincible remember?" He says as he gives me a grin.

I can't help but feel reassured. "Okay I'll stay here" I tell him with a small smile.

"That's my girl" He says as he goes out the back door with the light on his M6 guiding him into the field.

I don't know what is going on but I got a weird feeling about all of this. Something big is gonna go down and what scares me is I don't know what to expect. This is hella insane.

* * *

_And that's the first chapter of my story. I hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the long wait and please leave reviews and feedback. In the next chapter I'll probably give a background on Risa's father and work on his character more. He's gonna play an important role later on. And yes! There are SPARTANS here too! What's a Halo fanfic without SPARTANS? C'mon! Bye! Till next time! _


End file.
